good morning. i'm muhammad lila, in for rob nelson. >> i'm brandi hitt. paula faris is on assignment today. we begin this morning with a new effort to avoid the fiscal cliff. it's an 11th-hour attempt to reach a deal. but lawmakers are not optimistic. >> wendy gillette is here with the latest. good morning, wendy. >> reporter: good morning, president obama will meet be lawmakers this afternoon. time is running out with no deal in sight. president obama will meet with congressional leaders later today at the white house. but it may be too late for a deal. there's just four days left before the fiscal cliff deadline. >> i have to be very honest, mr. president. i don't know, time-wise, how it can happen now. >> reporter: senate majority

leader, harry reid, lashed out at house speaker, john boehner, accusing him of running a dictatorship. >> john boehner seems to care more about his leadership than keeping the country on a secure footing. >> republicans aren't about to write a blank check for anything senate democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff. that wouldn't be fair to the american people. >> reporter: president obama flew home early from his hawaii vacation yesterday. speaker boehner called the house back into town for an unusual sunday session. but members of congress understand the 11th-hour actions may not be enough to appease the public. >> the american people have a right to be very upset with this congress. >> reporter: the fiscal cliff would bring massive tax increases and deep spending cuts. the treasury department would have trouble paying its bills. many economists worry the financial woes would plunge the u.s. back into a recession.

just one possible effect of the fiscal cliff. milk prices could spike $2 or $3 a gallon, because farm programs will expire at the end of the year. some are calling that dairy cliff. live in new york, wendy gillette. >> wendy gillette in new york. thank you. the country has lost one of its great warriors. tributes are pouring in this morning for retired general norman schwarzkopf. the general died yesterday in tampa after a battle with pneumonia. schwarzkopf commanded "operation desert storm" that drove iraqi forces from kuwait. in retirement, he championed causes. norman schwarzkopf was 78. now, to former president george h.w. bush's condition. his chief of staff says he will be in the hospital for a while. the 41st president is recovering from a terrible case of bronchitis with a series of

complications. she says that mr. bush is getting excellent medical treatment in houston. and she would ask that people put the heart back into the closet. interesting. secretary of state hillary clinton is planning to return to work next week. she has not been seen in public for two weeks. she's been recuperating at home since suffering a concussion. it happened when she hit her head during a fainting spell that was brought on by a stomach virus. for the second time this month, a man has been pushed to his death in front of a new york subway train. eyewitnesses say a woman pushed him on the elevated tracks in queens last night. surveillance cameras captured her running away. it's not clear that the woman knew the victim. but witnesses said she had been following him closely and mumbling to herself. a decorated marine corps veteran who served two tours in iraq has been charged with murdering his wife. jennifer sebena was on patrol.

she was shot five times in the head. in a 2010 video for his church, ben talked about his struggle to control his anger. this is a christmas in new york city mom might want to forget. sheba anderson was shaken to the core when she said on christmas morning an 8-year-old girl in her care opened up a donated teddy bear and found a black revolve also inside the same box. she said the gift was wrapped when she got it in a toy giveaway. we're getting a look at the shear power of one of the many tornados that barreled through the south on christmas day. this is surveillance video from a walgreens in mobile, alabama. you can see the fierce winds blowing around the debris. incredible. as the sky darkens, cars literally get sucked in. the winds burst into the store, sending shoppers scrambling. amazingly, no one was hurt. >> good to hear.

that monster storm system has moved out after blasting the northeast. but some of the same states are bracing for yet another round of snow. after getting nearly a foot of snow in parts of the midwest, western pennsylvania and new england, several more inches are coming in today and tomorrow. the initial storm is being blamed for at least 16 deaths. and the system shattered snowfall records in many cities. among them, indianapolis, at 13 inches. little rock got the most christmas snow since 1926. and syracuse, new york, ended up with nearly a foot of snow. time, now, for the weather all across the nation. up to three inches of snow is going to be falling around minneapolis, milwaukee and green bay. a dusting in chicago and detroit. meantime, rain showers and thunderstorms from new orleans to nashville and the carolinas. rain and mountain snow in the pacific northwest. >> meanwhile, 40s from seattle to san francisco. 20s from the twin cities right down to kansas city. and 30s for much of the midwest and the northeast.

coming up next, built for the road ahead. ford makes a major investment in creating jobs. and also ahead, the surprising impact the fiscal cliff will have on a staple of the american diet. also, later, it is back to the sidelines for an nfl coach whose medical battle has inspired his team and his community. we're going to hear from colts' coach chuck pagano, about his fight with cancer. stay with us.

welcome back. you could call it the dairy cliff. there could be some serious sticker shock starting new year's day. you heard wendy mention a little

bit about this moments ago. here's more information. the price of milk could double, hitting as much as $8 a gallon, if congress does not take action on the new farm bill. without the bill, the 1949 law would kick in. and that would force the government to pay dairy farmers much higher prices for their milk, pushing costs up all across the board. another day, another upbeat report on the rebounding housing market. sales of new homes jumped 4.4% between october and november. the fastest pace in more than 2 1/2 years. overall, new home sales are up 15% over the past year. and still, with the economy, a sign of the rebounding u.s. auto industry. ford will spend more than $750 million to expand a half-dozen manufacturing plants in michigan. that will create more than 2,300 jobs and save 3,000 others. it's part of the company's commitment to invest $6.2 billion in its u.s. plants and create 12,000 jobs by 2015. there are movie flops. and then, there's the 2012 film that's the biggest flop of

all-time. christian slater's indy cop horror film "payback" grossed a total of $264. box office mojo crunched the numbers and found that "payback" played in one theater last spring. if you're counting, that means a couple dozen people decided to buy tickets. >> you know who you are who bought tickets to see that movie. apparently, it was not that good. >> that is a flop. when we come back, the ban on adopting russian children is hitting home for many american families. >> but none more so than this woman. she is the first child adopted from moscow. and has an emotional perspective on this new ban. plus, for three months, he battled cancer. now, colts coach chuck pagano is ready to do battle with opposing teams. this morning, he shares his journey.

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welcome back. now, a look at the morning road conditions. snow-covered highways in the upper midwest and great lakes. wet commute in the south from the carolinas to the gulf coast. and also, very slick in the pacific northwest. >> now, if you're flying, good luck. there are airport delays possible in minneapolis, chicago, detroit, houston, new orleans, atlanta, and we can't leave out san francisco. in other news, hundreds of russian children with a chance for a new life in the united states are now hanging in the balance. russian president vladimir putin says he will sign a bill barring americans from adopting russian children. and that would block many perspective parents who already met the orphans they plan to bring home. kayla anderson, now 21 years old, was the first baby from moscow to be adopted by an american family. >> it makes me feel so good that i have a family here, versus if i was over there, i would be in an orphanage. >> there's so many loving

families that can afford the experience and bring these babies home and give them a lifestyle they would never have if they stayed in the country. >> the ban on adoption is believed to be russia's retaliation for a set of human rights sanctions passed by congress and signed into law this month by president obama. sunday's football game in indianapolis is more than just about winning. it will also be a triumph over adversity and personal battles won. abc's t.j. winick reports on the reversal of fortunes for the colts and their coach. >> reporter: coming into this nfl season, the challenges for colts' first-year head coach chuck pagano were many. a team that finished the league-worst 2-14, last year. >> the indianapolis colts select andrew luck, quarterback, stanford. >> reporter: and a rookie quarterback, taking over for the departed peyton manning. but less than a month into the season, those challenges were nothing, compared to the devastating personal news he received.

>> the conclusion came down that he did have leukemia. >> reporter: the 52-year-old was forced to take a leave of absence for treatment, which included chemotherapy. expectations fell for the new-look colts. and yet, they've defied all expectations, behind rookie q.b. andrew luck and an interim head coach. pagano made a point of visiting his team when he was able. >> i'm dancing with two more wins. and we're hoisting that trophy together. >> reporter: the team rallied around their coach. playing behind the motto, chuckstrong. and even securing a playoff berth. some members of the team, fans and cheerleaders have shaved their heads in a show of solidarity. >> i beat it. and you can beat it, too. >> reporter: most of his treatment now complete, chuck pagano takes his rightful place this sunday, coaching in the regular season finale against the texans. >> just like our players, we talk about the will to win and the will to beat your man. you're just lining up against something else.

and with that will, you can overcome anything. >> reporter: chuck pagano was so eager to get back to work this past monday, he was the first one to show up at team headquarters in indianapolis. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. of course, with football winding down, it's all about the hoops these days. with highlights from some of last night's games, here's the latest from espn sports. >> good morning. cole wright here with your espn news update. and thursday night, the los angeles clippers, looking to stake their claim on the west coast. hoping to make it 15 in a row. but the celtics were standing in their way. first quarter, chris paul to deandre jordan, where no one was standing in his way. billy crystal said, you look marvelous. clippers up 13-4. later on, clippers still rolling. blake griffin. showing brandon bass part of his arsenal. turnaround "j." that would work. a second to go in the first. rajon rondo kevin garnet. the big ticket, a rain check. goes down by ten.

clippers still in front. jamal crawford with a tough lay-in. the only kind he makes. clippers with a 47-36 lead. paul to griffin. griffin goes up for what looked to be an unbelievable jam. he and jared sullinger, they collide. paul pierce finds lamar odom. great block right there. later in the fourth, matt barnes, passes the wide ball for three. count it. chris paul was loving it. the clippers go on to win this one, 106-77. college hoops. new mexico taking on cincinnati. unbeaten bearcats down a pair. crash mere wright for three. cincy back in front. 54-53. ensuing lobo possession. hugh greenwood to tony snell. new mexico, they win this one, 55-54. that will do it for your espn news update. don't forget, for the latest from around the sporting world,

tune in to "the highlight express" nightly 11:00, espn news. a norwegian soccer player with a killer kick could be in for an amazing career change, thanks to an incredible youtube video. >> you have to watch this. havard rugland has never played football before. but look at his fancy footwork and you'll understand why he has caught the eye of the nfl. there it is. rugland's precision kick is getting him tryouts with the new york jets. he first tried football last year. but, man, he took a lot of time to get it on one take. but he admits, some things like that there may take a couple times. still ahead, he wants a wife. and he's not afraid to say it. >> the very direct approach this 82-year-old man has decided to take to find love. plus, the message in a bottle that only went a few miles before it was picked up. but the impact it's had is epic. we'll be right back with that story. ew treadmill app.

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welcome back, everyone. the great white way goes dark tonight to honor actor jack klugman. the marquee will dim for one minute at 8:00. klugman owned a tony award nomination for "gypsy" in 1960. his broadway roles include "the sunshine boys." britney spears could be out as a judge in "the x factor" after just one season. reports say simon cowell didn't believe she was earning her paycheck. >> could wanted crazy britney. but he got boring britney.

and critics seem to agree that she didn't add much to the show. the clock is ticking and the world is waiting for the big ball drop here in new york in times square. >> preparations have shifted into full swing. and workers are putting on the touches of the giant waterford crystal ball. a chicago woman has found her own unique way to celebrate the holidays. >> she creates amazing gingerbread villages with trains and christmas trees. the village is illuminated. and music plays around it. and she started it as a way to beat homesickness. beautiful, too. and listen to this. an oregon man is going retro in hopes of finding a wife. >> he's cast aside the modern conveniences of match.com or craigslist in favor of a more direct approach. 82-year-old sandy mccullough

wears a sign around his neck, looking for his perfect exxon on. he wants her to be over 60. but wouldn't turn down a woman who is younger. >> if a 40-year-old or 50-year-old came along and said, i'm too young but i want to do this. i would probably do it. >> as for his unusual tactic, mccullough believes in asking for what you want plainly and clearly. now, to a story that proves creative inspiration can be found pretty much anywhere. you don't often find a 10-year-old in the laundry room. but this guy is getting some clean sounds out of an unlikely instrument instruments. >> he's been taking lessons for about a year. but this self-taught tot is getting 3,000 hits on youtube. there you have it. career in the making. now, for some of you, your local news is next.

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today icaptioned bye epic. closed captioning services, inc. good friday morning. the last friday of 2012. >> that it is. >> thank you for joining us. i'm eric thomas. and i'm katie marzullo in for kristen sze. the storm of the new year or weather? >> somewhere this between. let's talk about what is going to happen. a little rain today, is quiet, over the ocean where we expect the bulk of the storm, would stay and that's where it is now. you can see clouds on the increase, the rain is starting to make its way towards us. sprinkles we talked about yesterday are possible during the morning hours. we'll have our best chance of rain into the afternoon and

evening. closer to the coast more likely you are going to get rain. near 50 for you today. increasing clouds low to mid 50s around the bay and inland. don't need the wet weather gear now. 30s and 40s, have that umbrella for the afternoon. good morning. live look at golden gate bridge roadwork at the north end it is light, very little traffic, yesterday on the golden gate bridge a nightmare, hopefully today -- there were a lot of folks out yesterday, it was jammed all afternoon. today hopefully, a little better you can see caution sign blinking down to one lane north end of marin end of the span. stall north 880 at broadway blocking off-ramp in oakland roadwork both directions until 5:00 this morning. stall san bruno north 280 at the avalon off-ramp.

we have breaking news. one person dead, three injured after what began as a chp pursuit ended with a deadly crash in oakland. amy hollyfield is live near the scene. >> reporter: officers are still here on the scene they say because it was a fatal accident they have a lot of work to do. the two cars involved are still here on 98th street this area still blocked 98th at golf links at 580 in oakland. police are going to be here for a while. they have the man who they think caused this. they say he's facing very serious charges. he was driving the bmw, police were trying to stop him for speeding but he refused to stop and took off and one minute later, crashed into a lincoln with four people inside